By Adeola Badru
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has warned that the Southwest may face worsening food insecurity as escalating kidnappings, killings and attacks on farmers continue to drive agricultural workers off their farms.
The organisation said the growing insecurity was not only threatening lives and property but also discouraging agricultural investment, reducing food production, worsening unemployment and deepening poverty across the region.
Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, raised the alarm in a statement in which he cited a series of recent attacks on farmers and other residents across the Southwest.
Among the incidents, he listed the killing of a female farmer in Ondo State, the abduction of 33-year-old poultry farmer, Mr Ooreoluwa Osonuga, in Ikenne, Ogun State, the killing of four farmers in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State and the abduction of Honourable Debo Farounbi in Ora, Osun State.
According to Afenifere, Farounbi, who was abducted on June 9, 2026, had reportedly remained in captivity despite the payment of N30 million ransom.
“Abductors of the latter, Farounbi, who was kidnapped on June 9, 2026, have refused to release him despite the payment of N30 million according to sources. They are even asking for more money and motorcycles!” the organisation said.
Ajayi said the incidents cited were only some of the reported cases, adding that several similar attacks were taking place in different parts of Yorubaland and other parts of Nigeria without being reported.
He warned that the consequences were already being felt in the agricultural sector, with farmers increasingly abandoning their farms because of fear of kidnapping, ransom demands and violent attacks.
Afenifere recalled that the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) had, in June, disclosed that “persistent abductions of farmers, farm workers and agribusiness investors in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states had discouraged investment, reduced agricultural productivity and endangered the livelihoods of thousands of farming families”, according to newspaper reports published on June 9, 2026.
“Many farmers now abandon their farms due to fear of abduction, ransom demands and violent attacks,” AFAN was quoted as saying.
The organisation also referred to an earlier report by The Guardian which indicated that banditry and herders’ attacks had reduced agricultural-related activities in some parts of Yorubaland by about 40 per cent.
Ajayi said his recent visits to the Oke-Ogun area and the northern parts of Oyo and Ondo states further revealed the extent of the crisis, as residents told him that they had abandoned their farms for three major reasons.
He identified fear of kidnapping as the first reason, while the second was the sharp decline in the prices farmers received for their produce, as middlemen, popularly known as ‘Onibaranda’, continued to stand between farmers and direct buyers.
The third reason, he said, was the continued grazing of farmlands by what he described as unscrupulous herders, despite repeated complaints, warnings and measures taken to address the situation.
A prominent farmer in Ondo State, Dr Eddy Olafeso, who owns 10 hectares of farmland where he produces cassava, cocoa, yam, plantain and other crops, was quoted as saying that he had abandoned his farm mainly “because of insecurity”.
The situation, Afenifere said, was not peculiar to the Southwest, as farmers in other parts of the country were also experiencing significant declines in agricultural production as a result of insecurity.
Mallam Shitu Kabir, President of the Cowpea & Beans Farmers Association of Nigeria and Vice-President of the Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association, stated that the production of cowpea and beans had dropped by almost 70 per cent, at least in the North.
Afenifere said research reports by local and international organisations, including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank, had similarly highlighted the impact of insecurity on agricultural practices across the country, including the Southwest.
The former Chairman of the Ondo State Agricultural Commodities Association (OSACA), Olugbenga Obaweya, also warned that insecurity posed a serious threat to food production and employment.
Afenifere said the difficulty of practising farming safely not only puts food production at risk but could also increase unemployment, as many people involved in agriculture-related businesses could be forced out of business.
He warned that the situation could lead to higher prices of farm produce and potentially increase criminal activities.
Afenifere further cited a June 18, 2026 report by The Punch which revealed that violent conflicts across northern Nigeria were deepening poverty and weakening households’ ability to recover from economic shocks.
The report, based on a finding titled “Insecurity, Livelihoods and Welfare in Northern Nigeria,” identified farmer-herder conflicts in the North-Central and banditry and kidnapping in the North-West as major forms of insecurity affecting the region.
Ajayi said the reports coming from different parts of Nigeria were “painting a picture of bleak” prospects for agricultural activities and creating the risk of hunger in the coming months if insecurity was not urgently brought under control.
He, however, said Afenifere welcomed recent steps by the Federal Government towards strengthening the country’s security architecture.
The organisation particularly commended President Bola Tinubu for his latest directive that a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan be formulated within 90 days to strengthen coordination across Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security capabilities.
Afenifere also commended the authorities and security agencies for the recent rescue of abducted students and teachers in Oyo and Borno states.
It urged the security agencies to deploy the same “sagacity” used in the rescue operations to secure the release of other Nigerians still in captivity and prevent further attacks.
To reverse the worsening security situation, Afenifere proposed what it described as a multi-layered approach, combining robust military action with tighter border control and stronger community policing.
It also called for an end to the incentives driving kidnapping and urged communities, security agencies and people in positions of authority to identify and deal with members of their communities who may be aiding or abetting bandits.
The organisation advocated economic reforms to improve the purchasing power of Nigerians, reduce the high cost of goods and services and address the conditions that make criminal activities attractive.
It further called for greater attention to seeming ‘ungoverned spaces’ and the swift imposition of stringent sanctions on those caught engaging in banditry.
Afenifere specifically urged governors in the six Southwest states to strengthen the Western Nigeria Security Network, Amotekun, pending the establishment of state police.
It called for an increase in Amotekun personnel and the provision of modern communication equipment, operational vehicles and surveillance drones.
The organisation also urged the governors to enforce anti-open grazing laws and establish specialised ranger units to clear and patrol thick forest reserves being used as hideouts by criminals.
It called for the integration of local hunters and vigilante groups into information-sharing networks, while encouraging modern ranching as a means of reducing farmer-herder conflicts.
Afenifere further proposed the establishment of joint security checkpoints along porous state borders to prevent armed groups from entering the region.
“Those riding on multiple motorbikes should particularly be blocked especially if they are armed,” it stated.
The organisation, however, urged governments at all levels to “buckle up” in tackling insecurity, warning that failure to do so could further undermine agricultural production and expose millions of Nigerians to worsening food insecurity and poverty.
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